LEB:Character Creation
Character creation for Living Eberron is a straightforward process that uses the standard D&D 4th edition rules as modified by our house rules. Any race, class, feat, or power from an approved source may be used. By following the steps below, and using our approved character sheet, you will make it easy for you to use your character, DMs to reference your character, and for judges to approve your character. Creating a New Character To create a new character follow the process laid out in here. While you'll need a 4th Edition Players Handbook (published by Wizards of the Coast) to actually make a character, this guide provides a few additional rules. In addition, it details how to get your character up on the wiki, how to request approval when its ready, and other book keeping details. Step 1: Create a Link to your Character's Page Go to the character name page and create a link for your character's Wiki page. The new page's name should consist of your character's name followed by your username in parentheses. For example, to add the half-orc artificer (level 5) named "Tondrek" by player "stonegod", edit the character name page, click the Source button on the top-right hand of editor window, and a like like the following (modified for your character and username): Tondrek (stonegod), half-orc artificer 5]] Be sure to save the page after creating the link. Step 2: Create Your Character's Page Click on the link for your character to begin editing the wiki page for your character. It is initially blank. We recommend you copy the contents of the sample character to you new page: * In a separate window or tab, go to the sample character page end edit it * Copy the entire contents of the Sample Character and cancel the editing. Do not modify the sample. * Paste the contents of the Sample Character into your new character page when editing its source (after clicking on the Source button on the upper-right corner). * Save the page. You will now have a character page that looks exactly like the sample character. We'll use this a basis for editing the character. Step 3: Create Your Character Edit your character's page again to begin filling out the details. You will be replacing the information from the sample character with your own here as your create your character. We'll cover the specifics of LEB character creation below, but here are some general tips: * Always edit the source when modifying the math, summary, or other template sections. Use the Source button the upper-right portion of the editor. Using the Source will ensure everything works properly. When editing background or normal text, you can use the normal editor. * Start filling out the math section first, filling out the summary once you've worked out the correct information. * Use the help for the templates. The help for the templates used by the character sheet can be found below: ** PC Statblock template which uses the Statblock Power, Power Corollary, Item, and Class Feature templates ** Attributes template ** Attacks template ** Defenses template ** Senses & Reactions template ** Health template ** Skills template ** Power to Hit Summary and Power to Hit templates * If you're not sure what something means or will look like on the wiki, use the preview; the preview button is at the bottom of the editing window. * Periodically save your work. The save button is next to the preview button. * Don't forget to delete the help text when your character is complete. The help text are the links to the help for the various templates. If you have any problems, please post to the Character Building thread to try to resolve the issue or contact a judge. 3a. Choose a Race, Class, and Level Choose any class or race that is from an acceptable source. Keep in mind where your PC is from when choosing your race and class; for example, Karrnath sees more human warlords than deva druids. While there may be a deva druid from Karnnath, their background will require more explaining! When choosing a race or class, please indicate the source in the Racial and Class features of your character sheet. Some details about the races of LEB can be found here. Characters in LEB may start at any level between first and fourth (inclusive). Your choice of level will effect your number of powers, feats, and ability score modifier; in addition, it may affect what adventures you qualify for—some DMs may prefer a certain range of characters. Choose the level you wish: A novice 1st level fighter or a 4th level recognized veteran of the Last War (or anywhere in-between). 3b. Choose a Background Trait Choose a background trait from the list of acceptable sources. Your background will provide your character with a bonus language, a bonus to a skill, or add a skill to your list of class skills. Please indicate the source of your Background Trait in the appropriate section. You must somehow tie this background trait to your character's written background provided later. 3c. Determine Ability Scores Use Method 1 (Standard Array) or Method 2 (22 Point Buy) from the Player's Handbook to create you character; apply racial modifiers after you select your abilities. If you are starting a character at fourth level, remember to raise two separate ability scores by one and indicate which two on your character sheet in the Attributes section. 3d. Select Skills, Feats, and Powers Again using the approved sources, select your skills, feats, and powers. Keep track of your selections per level. Also indicate any retraining that you did when a level was added if your character is higher than level 1. Please indicate the source of all feats and powers in the Feats and Powers in your character sheet. 3e. Choose Equipment First level characters use the standard procedure for choosing equipment: You start with 100gp and may use any of the approved sources for making purchases. Characters beyond first level receive additional resources in addition to the initial 100gp allocation. We use a parcel system that roughly represents the treasure your character would have earned adventuring: For each level gained after the first, you gain a treasure parcel in addition to some gold. There are five treasure parcels to choose from: * A magic item of level n+1 (where n'' is the level where you gained the parcel) * An item of level n+2 * An item of level n+3 * An item of level n+4 * An amount of gold equal to the cost of a level n magic item For example, a second level new PC gains a parcel at level 1; they may choose either a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th level magic item or 360gp, the cost of a 1st level magic item. In addition to the parcel, you receive gold equal 1/5th the price of a magic item of the level where you gained the parcel. In the above example, the 2nd level character would receive 72gp with whatever parcel they chose. For characters starting higher than second level, you may choose an additional parcel and receive another split of gold for each level gained. You may only choose a unique parcel once; for example, you cannot choose an item of level 5 at 1st level (a level n+4 item) and an item of level 6 at second (another level n+4 item). You do not choose an item for your current level as parcels are earned when leveling up. As an example, consider Harbinger, a 4th level human Avenger. He can choose three parcels: A parcel earned at level 1, one at level 2, and one at level 3. One valid set of parcels are: * 1st: A level 3 item (He chose the n+2 parcel for level 1; 1+2=3) * 2nd: A level 5 item (He chose the n+3 parcel for level 2; 2+3=5) * 3rd: A level 7 item (He chose the n+4 for level 3; 3+4=7) In addition, he would receive 412gp: 100gp initially and 312gp representing 1/5th of the cost of a level 1 (360gp), level 2 (520gp), and level 3 item (680gp). Note, the parcels you chose at character creation determine what parcels you are eligible when you adventure. DMs award treasure based upon the parcels a PC has not yet received. Thus, sometime during level 4, Harbinger could expect an item of level 5 (the item level n+1 parcel) or 840gp (the gold parcel); similarly, sometime during level 5, Harbinger would earn the final remaining parcel. Thus, consider what potential parcels you want in the future when choosing your selection at character creation. Feel free to spend your earned gold on any valid item from the approved sources, including other magic items, alchemical substances, potions, rituals, or similar. Just make sure to track what parcels you chose and what purchases you made in the Equipment and Tracking sections of your character sheet. Unlike the method used in the DMG, you ''must purchase any mundane equipment with which you start. 3f. Provide Roleplaying Details Background Roleplaying details provide the fire the fuels your character. A background places them firmly in the world. Elements of your background are private knowledge (not known to other PCs unless shared). However, you should consider several common things when creating your background: * Where was your character born? Nationality and region of origin plays a large role in Khorvaire, where tensions from the Last War still linger. * What did you do during the Last War? The Last War changed everything and had a major effect on those living in Khorvaire. Everyone was touched by it. * Where were you on the Day of Mourning? The Day of Mourning is the singular shared event of the current generation. Most know where they were when it occurred or when they first learned about it. Your roleplaying background should incorporate the mechanical background trait you chose earlier. Appearance and Personality Both of these elements give your PC character. Do they have any identifiable marks? Quirks or oddities? What makes them unique? Hooks and Kickers You may also optionally choose hooks and a kicker. A kicker and/or hooks give DMs an easy way of thinking about how to incorporate your character into a story and provide an idea about what sort of game you'd like to play, so consider including them. In general the information in your character's background is private. It can not be altered by anyone without your permission. If your character backstory includes the fact that you are "searching for your sister's murderer" a DM can not create that murderer and have you interact with them without your permission. The exception to this is parts of your character's backstory that you designate as a hook. If you include: : Hook: My sisters' murder on your character sheet, then you are are allowing a DM to include that part of your character's backstory in their adventure. Feel free to include suggestions into your hooks. You might write "Hook: My sister's murderer (someone unexpected)" or "she died for knowing to much" or even something very specific. You may have as many hooks as you look. A kicker is an event that happened to your character directly before they become active in the Living Eberron setting. It is designed to help motivate your character toward an active adventuring life and guide DMs in creating adventures as well as giving your character a way to be included in an adventure. By definition a kicker is a hook. During character approval, character background and such will be checked to make sure they integrate well with the given setting. Character approvals will work with you to incorporate your ideas as best as possible within the setting. 3g. Finalize the Sheet Go over and verify the numbers in the math section agree with those in the summary statblock at the beginning. Make sure you have given the source for your class, race, background, powers, and feats in the appropriate sections. Finally, add the appropriate categories to the end of your sheet. The categories indicate what race your character is and what nationality they associate with. Other categories could be added to represent affiliations. For example, consider Harbinger, a Karrn human dragonmarked member of House Deneith who is an Avenger of the Silver Flame. Then we could add the following categories: * Human Category:LEB:Human * House Deneith Category:LEB:Deneith * Dragonmarked Category:LEB:Dragonmarked * Karrnathi Category:LEB:Karrnath * Avenger Category:LEB:Avenger * Flamist Category:LEB:Silver Flame These categories make it easy to get a quick census of the type of characters exist in Living Eberron. The general "LEB" and "Requesting Approval" categories should already be included at the end of the sample character you based your character on; make sure they are there before submission. Step 4: Contact the Judges with Your Character When you feel that your character sheet is ready for submission, send an email to the LEB judge account, leb.judge@gmail.com, with a link to your character sheet and the following subject line (replacing Bilbo Baggins with your character's name): Category:LEB:Approved Characters Once two approvers (at least one of them a judge) sanction your character, you are officially approved (provided all concerns, requests and where necessary changes, have been made). You can now begin earning experience! Editing After Approval You can continue to edit your character sheet after it has been approved, it's your character sheet after all. You can make notes on details of your current status, or about your adventures, or add to your backstory. However, changes will have no official effect until you level up and submit your character for approval again. DMs should be aware that the approved version of a character sheet is the one last approved by the judges (see the character sheet's revision history on the Wiki), and that later edits have not been checked. Leveling an Existing Character When you are awarded enough experience to gain a level, you must re-submit your character using the same process as for the initial character submission: Edit your character sheet in the wiki and email the judges including a link to your character sheet, notifying them of the level increase. For treasure and XP gained, list each gained in the appropriate section of the character sheet with links to the posts where they were awarded. As with initial submission, you may continue playing before the approval process is complete, but you cannot receive any more experience until the level-up is approved. Retraining Every time your character gains a level, you can retrain one feat, power, or skill. If new character options have been approved for play in LEB since your character’s last approval or level-up, you may additionally retrain one new feat, power, and class feature (when selectable) from the new source(s). Character Overhaul Once before your character advances their first level (or when they do), you may do an overhaul of your character. This is a single opportunity in that character’s career to recreate all mechanical aspects of the character except for class, race, and basic character concept. The overhaul must be approved as per the normal rules for character approval, and requires DM permission if the character is involved in an adventure. For more extensive changes beyond what can be done with the overhaul, consider "retiring" your character for the redesign Importing a Previous Living Eberron Character Living Eberron is a 4E continuation of a previous 3.5E incarnation. To foster continuation, previous characters may be imported. To import such a character, follow these steps: * Create a new character wiki page as outlined above with a new copy of the LEB character sheet. * Fill out the sheet, adapting your old character to your new one. Use the rules outlined above with these modifications: ** Use the same race as your original PC unless that race is not available or, rarer, it is not a good fit conceptually. In that case, try to find a suitable match. ** Use the same class as your original PC unless that class is not available or appropriate. If the class does not match, try to find one that does. ** Your character's starting level is the same as its previous incarnation's level. Your character's XP is the minimum value needed to reach that experience level. If you were particularly close to the next level, you may propose to the judges that you be granted additional new experience. ** Choose starting items using the system outlined above. * In the character sheet's "Tracking" section, provide a link to the 3.5E version of the character and a brief justification of any class or racial modifications you made. * Once the sheet is complete (don't forget your roleplaying details!), contact the judges as usual. Importing a character does not change the limit of characters you may have in Living Eberron; you are still limited to two. Your previous 3.5E characters that are not imported do not count towards this limit, however. Category:LEB